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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25652911">Éclair dans les Ombres</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/deerskull_writes/pseuds/deerskull_writes'>deerskull_writes</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Team Fortress 2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Magic, Everyone has magic, Gen, Includes ART!, spy pretends he doesnt care when in fact he does</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 02:08:01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,853</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25652911</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/deerskull_writes/pseuds/deerskull_writes</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The group is stopped in their tracks as the windows of the corridor they’re running through are blown out, immediately putting themselves back to back. The rune on Sniper’s left hand begins to glow a deep green, scanning their surroundings.</p>
<p>“Can’t see anythin’.” He reports gruffly, though not without a worried shake to his voice.</p>
<p>“Spy, I thought you said they couldn’t reach the windows.” Scout hisses, glancing around rapidly.</p>
<p>“Because they can’t.” Shaking his head, Spy turns to face both of them, trying to push them forward. “We don’t have time for this, we need to keep moving. Who knows how much time we have before-”</p>
<p>He hears the floorboards behind him creak a second before Scout yells at him to look out.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>deerskull's Team Fortress 2 Magic AU</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Éclair dans les Ombres</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>They had been split up. RED paired with BLU and broken down into small groups, sent in different directions to set up defenses against the oncoming army across this base in the middle of nowhere. Everyone complained, but those in the know knew the storage hidden in this base - potent magical reserves and information on near everyone employed under the Administrator. If such things fell into the wrong hands, they’d all be in trouble, far more trouble than they could even imagine.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Spy runs down the corridor, taking care to avoid the uneven floorboards to reduce noise, his form flickering as he drops his invisibility. He and his team’s Scout had split from their small group to check the immediate area for defenses and weaknesses then report back so they would be prepared for the incoming forces of robots. As he opens the door into the room they had made their base of operations, a jagged piece of scrap metal thuds into the doorframe beside his head, surprising him for only a moment before he turns his unamused gaze onto Scout, who looks immediately sheepish.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Sorry.” He mumbles, the bright red glow of the rune on his temple fading. “Thought you were one of those things sneakin’ up on us.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Obviously, I am not.” Comes Spy’s reply as he yanks the metal from the door, giving it a glance over. It certainly could have done a lot of damage if it hit, so he was rather lucky that the boy decided to use it as a distraction instead. “Think before you move next time.” He says, before tossing it to BLU’s Engineer. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>The Engineer in question catches it without looking, the metal melting in his hands as he shapes it into the sentry he’s setting up. “Thanks, Slick. Find anythin’?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“The west entrance has been locked up for some time, heavy doors and padlocked. However, they are only wooden, so if they wanted a way in that would be it. The windows are too high up for them to break and get in that way. There is a hole in the uppermost floor, so that could be used to get the drop on them if they go that way.” Spy states as he leans up against the wall, taking a cigarette from its case and lighting it up. “And, there are tools and broken farm machinery on the bottom level. I couldn’t carry any of it myself, and I assume it will be useful, so I can take someone with me to collect it.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Well now, ain’t that something. That’d be a mighty great help, I could get this li’l gun here up to perfect condition with plenty of ammo to keep us sitting pretty for a while.” Engie grins, knocking his hardhat back as he looks across at Spy. “Take the boys with ya, me and Mumbles here will do just fine on our own.” He gestures to the BLU Pyro next to him, who had been sitting quietly watching him work on the sentry the whole time. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Spy nods, ignoring Scout’s protests of “Aw man, I JUST got done bringin’ all this scrap that I found up for ya!” as he gestures for both him and BLU’s Sniper to follow him back out the door. It only takes a couple minutes to get back down to the ground floor, the group moving silently and carefully. Even if the danger hadn’t arrived yet, it pays to be careful. The two younger mercs set about collecting all the scrap metal, sorting all the nonmetals out and filling Scout’s backpack and Sniper’s quiver with whatever they can, planning to carry larger items in their arms. Spy keeps watch, partially because he doesn’t want rust on his suit and partially because someone needs to make sure that they’re safe. It’s just after both Scout and Sniper had returned from their first run that they’re all stopped by a sharp, distant whistle - the signal that the automated forces were on them.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Grab what you can and go!” Spy barks, both boys nodding before doing so and racing from the bottom floor back to their base room. Spy follows them closely, listening to the distant sounds of fighting and hoping that they can get back to safety to calculate their next move before their building is put under siege by their autonomous attackers.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>But things are never that easy, are they?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The group is stopped in their tracks as the windows of the corridor they’re running through are blown out, immediately putting themselves back to back. The rune on Sniper’s left hand begins to glow a deep green, scanning their surroundings.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Can’t see anythin’.” He reports gruffly, though not without a worried shake to his voice.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Spy, I thought you said they couldn’t reach the windows.” Scout hisses, glancing around rapidly.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Because they <em> can’t </em>.” Shaking his head, Spy turns to face both of them, trying to push them forward. “We don’t have time for this, we need to keep moving. Who knows how much time we have before-”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He hears the floorboards behind him creak a second before Scout yells at him to look out, spinning around to meet the robot that was melding out of the shadows, a horrifying caricature of his own class. A Spy robot. One of it’s bladed hands slash downwards across his face in a motion that would have been a perfect backstab if he hadn’t turned around. Everything moves in slow motion as the air is filled with the sound of fabric and flesh alike ripping open. Spy stumbles and curls in on himself, both Sniper and Scout staggering backwards away from the bot, in shock.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Spy realises very quickly that he’s bleeding, feeling it trickle down his face. . . instead of soaking into his mask like it should be doing. In a slightly dazed motion, he raises a hand to touch the wound, to touch the now fraying edges of his mask where the blade had sliced the thing clean open. His face, his <em> true </em> face, now exposed. His mind becomes a panicked blur - how is he going to fix this? How is he going to continue the fight without anyone seeing him? He can’t keep his magic activated the whole time. He’s already aware of the fabric starting to fall away, there’s no way he can save this now--</p>
<p> </p>
<p>A grating noise comes from the robot as it jerkily moves to grab Spy by the tie and forces him to stand upright. It takes a moment to process the sound, but what it is soon becomes clear as day. It’s <em> laughing </em> at him. “OH DEAR, I’VE MADE QUITE THE MESS.” It speaks, and Spy can hear his own voice in it’s crunched up words. First, it tries to kill him. Then, it destroys the one physical line of defence he has. Then, it dares to use his own voice to insult him? “DON’T MOVE, OR YOUR LITTLE FRIENDS DIE TOO.” Judging by Scout’s whimper behind him, there were more robots holding them captive too.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>And now it threatens his teammates. His racing mind forces itself to a standstill, his breathing steadily increasing. No. No, no, no. He will not accept this. This is not where he will admit defeat, this is not where he or anyone else will die. This is <em> not </em>where he fails.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>In a single moment, all the light in the corridor is sucked out, leaving it pitch black despite the low daylight outside with only the beady red lights of the robots’ eyes to determine where they are.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Then, a bright ice blue light erupts from Spy’s chest, sparking and arcing around the hallway. Spy regains his movement, using his own knife to cut through his tie to release the robot’s grip on him and pulling the remains of his mask from his face with his other hand, allowing it to fall. Before the robot can react, he raises a hand towards it’s face, the crackling blue light condensing into the palm of his hand, and from it he releases a massive electrical discharge that surges into it’s metallic body. The charge hisses and pops louder than anything any of them had heard before, joined by the strangled and gurgling cry of the robot as it’s body is overloaded with electricity.</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>It’s enough to make the thing burst into flame, convulsing jaggedly as it falls to the floor. Spy stares at it, wanting to kick it, <em> destroy </em> it with his bare hands, but no, there’s more at stake here than his pride. Slowly, he turns to look at the remaining robots, who had remained stationary in the dark. Perhaps they couldn’t see what was happening, and so couldn’t act? Who knows. He’s certainly not going to wait around to find out, not when there are knives to throats and his son looks about ready to cry in fear.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>His entire body crackles with electricity as he takes a step forwards, throwing his knife at the one holding Sniper and using it to arc his magic straight into it, managing to hold his control of it so it didn’t hurt the boy. Sniper manages to wrangle himself free, distancing himself from both the robots and Spy, clearly scared of anything that moves. Meanwhile, Scout remembers himself through his fear, his own body lighting up in a surge of bright red electricity. It’s not enough to completely disable the thing, but just enough to stun it so he can scamper a distance away and let Spy deal with it. And deal with it he does, this time grabbing it’s face and pouring a surge of electricity into it. The sound this one makes is almost a scream, but he doesn’t care. It doesn’t feel pain, and if it does, it deserves it. It’s odd to turn a statement like that onto something other than himself for once, but it makes him feel a little better.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>As Spy’s breathing starts to slow to a better pace, light returns to the room, though his body still sparks dangerously. He’s still bleeding, but he makes no move to wipe it away or. . . do anything, really, staring into space as he drops the robot body to the ground.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“S- Spy? Y-. . . your face-” Scout starts, finally breaking the silence after a few moments, only to get cut off.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“<b> <em>Move.</em> </b>” Spy commands, unwilling to take any arguments, and to his relief they both obey, picking up whatever scrap metal they dropped and sprinting away to head upstairs. Once they’re out of sight, he forces himself to take a deep breath and take his tattered mask off properly, tossing it to the floor where his tie lays in the smoldering robot’s hand. He should have brought spares, he realises, but he can’t care about that now. He’ll just have to deal with it, and hope that he can defend himself from any questions that will come.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>But for now, there is a battle to win. Spy forces himself forward, the air around him shimmering as he renders himself invisible, and disappears completely from view.</p>
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